Why is walkability important if nobody is walking???? (transplants, sales)
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It makes no sense to place a high priority on walkability and in the mean time nobody is walking. I see most people in these areas sitting on their phones and laptops in their apartment or in a sitting area like at starbucks etc. If they need something they order from Amazon or wherever and have it delivered. If they need a ride they call an Uber etc.
In many of these new uptown and midtown areas or suburban walkable developments I only see people actually outside walking during rush hour or on the weekend. Even then I only see maybe 2 people walking on every block.
I say that they are "Walkable" but no one is actually "Walking" so what is the point? I compare this to buying a nice Nick-Nack just to sit it on a shelf and stare at it. Or maybe people want to be cool and live in a "Walkable" area even though they don't live a walkable lifestyle.
I see many urban style mixed use developments where the Garage is almost as big as the Residential building. WHAT IS THE POINT? IS it all just hype?
I see people paying $3000/mo. to live in a super cool apartment tower in uptown or wherever. I checked one out and NOBODY was in the rec room, pool, bar, TV room or anywhere else. EVERYONE was in their apartment on their computer?
Ok Grandpa Simpson. You live in Houston. Texas cities aren't exactly bastions of urbanity and walkability. Try living somewhere where you can truly live car-free like New York, Chicago, or Seattle. Maybe then you'll see why all the whippersnappers (who're far younger than you or I) make such a fuss about it.
Honestly, though, why do you care? It's not your money they're spending. Are they threatening your livelihood by preferring to live in a hip apartment in the city instead of a boring, cookie cutter tract house in the suburbs?
It makes no sense to place a high priority on walkability and in the mean time nobody is walking. I see most people in these areas sitting on their phones and laptops in their apartment or in a sitting area like at starbucks etc. If they need something they order from Amazon or wherever and have it delivered. If they need a ride they call an Uber etc.
In many of these new uptown and midtown areas or suburban walkable developments I only see people actually outside walking during rush hour or on the weekend. Even then I only see maybe 2 people walking on every block.
I say that they are "Walkable" but no one is actually "Walking" so what is the point? I compare this to buying a nice Nick-Nack just to sit it on a shelf and stare at it. Or maybe people want to be cool and live in a "Walkable" area even though they don't live a walkable lifestyle.
I see many urban style mixed use developments where the Garage is almost as big as the Residential building. WHAT IS THE POINT? IS it all just hype?
I see people paying $3000/mo. to live in a super cool apartment tower in uptown or wherever. I checked one out and NOBODY was in the rec room, pool, bar, TV room or anywhere else. EVERYONE was in their apartment on their computer?
Where you live (Houston) is not really "walkable" the way it is built in most areas. The residential is isolated from most businesses, and the distances between these businesses are too far apart. It is mostly hype in Houston, and it was a lost opportunity when Houston did not continue or require the mixed-use style of development like on West Gray in Midtown. The worst examples are the apartments at Westheimer and Louisiana where the first floors are nothing but parking ramps. They look good, but do not promote walking. But, even though not really "walkable" in the sense of older cities like in the Northeast, at least there are many things close to Midtown or Downtown that don't require driving on a freeway if you live there.
It makes no sense to place a high priority on walkability and in the mean time nobody is walking. I see most people in these areas sitting on their phones and laptops in their apartment or in a sitting area like at starbucks etc. If they need something they order from Amazon or wherever and have it delivered. If they need a ride they call an Uber etc.
In many of these new uptown and midtown areas or suburban walkable developments I only see people actually outside walking during rush hour or on the weekend. Even then I only see maybe 2 people walking on every block.
I say that they are "Walkable" but no one is actually "Walking" so what is the point? I compare this to buying a nice Nick-Nack just to sit it on a shelf and stare at it. Or maybe people want to be cool and live in a "Walkable" area even though they don't live a walkable lifestyle.
I see many urban style mixed use developments where the Garage is almost as big as the Residential building. WHAT IS THE POINT? IS it all just hype?
I see people paying $3000/mo. to live in a super cool apartment tower in uptown or wherever. I checked one out and NOBODY was in the rec room, pool, bar, TV room or anywhere else. EVERYONE was in their apartment on their computer?
Not sure what your neighborhood is like, but I'm in a very walkable area and people are walking (and running, biking, etc.) all the time. Even late at night, in bad weather, early in the morning, etc. It's really nice not to have to fire up the car and deal with traffic and parking to go get groceries, a bite to eat, a drink, etc. It's really nice not to have to drive to work. I would wager that the places where nobody is walking aren't truly walkable.
It makes no sense to place a high priority on walkability and in the mean time nobody is walking. I see most people in these areas sitting on their phones and laptops in their apartment or in a sitting area like at starbucks etc. If they need something they order from Amazon or wherever and have it delivered. If they need a ride they call an Uber etc.
In many of these new uptown and midtown areas or suburban walkable developments I only see people actually outside walking during rush hour or on the weekend. Even then I only see maybe 2 people walking on every block.
I say that they are "Walkable" but no one is actually "Walking" so what is the point? I compare this to buying a nice Nick-Nack just to sit it on a shelf and stare at it. Or maybe people want to be cool and live in a "Walkable" area even though they don't live a walkable lifestyle.
I see many urban style mixed use developments where the Garage is almost as big as the Residential building. WHAT IS THE POINT? IS it all just hype?
I see people paying $3000/mo. to live in a super cool apartment tower in uptown or wherever. I checked one out and NOBODY was in the rec room, pool, bar, TV room or anywhere else. EVERYONE was in their apartment on their computer?
I walk quite a bit. The only reason I don't is when my health condition doesn't allow me to. I do not own a car and probably never will. I cannot ride a bike either. My vision is so poor that even the computer screen is blurry with glasses on. If I can't live in a place where the necessities are not within walking distance or at least near public transportation, I don't want to live there. I also have no family or friends to constantly take care of my needs and they should not have to. So it's a matter of life and independence.
Last edited by aileesic; 12-30-2019 at 08:30 AM..
Reason: Corrections
Live in downtown Bellevue. I can walk to everything. I still have a car to take into Seattle though. I don't like to wait on the bus, but I would. I can live here without a car.
It makes no sense to place a high priority on walkability and in the mean time nobody is walking. I see most people in these areas sitting on their phones and laptops in their apartment or in a sitting area like at starbucks etc. If they need something they order from Amazon or wherever and have it delivered. If they need a ride they call an Uber etc.
In many of these new uptown and midtown areas or suburban walkable developments I only see people actually outside walking during rush hour or on the weekend. Even then I only see maybe 2 people walking on every block.
I say that they are "Walkable" but no one is actually "Walking" so what is the point? I compare this to buying a nice Nick-Nack just to sit it on a shelf and stare at it. Or maybe people want to be cool and live in a "Walkable" area even though they don't live a walkable lifestyle.
I see many urban style mixed use developments where the Garage is almost as big as the Residential building. WHAT IS THE POINT? IS it all just hype?
I see people paying $3000/mo. to live in a super cool apartment tower in uptown or wherever. I checked one out and NOBODY was in the rec room, pool, bar, TV room or anywhere else. EVERYONE was in their apartment on their computer?
I mean....
This is EXACTLY why people from places like Chicago, DC, Boston, NYC, San Francisco give Houston a ton of flack. It sprawls, the neighborhoods often feel lifeless, and you can go blocks without seeing a pedestrian walking or biking on the sidewalk. The luxury buildings I've been to in Houston mirror what you said.. A few people at the pool, nobody in the common areas, very little saturation in the way of bars/restaurants/public transportation that would pull people outside. I'm very sincere when I say there are more people on the streets of Chicago, in January, at 1:00 AM than there are in Houston's hottest neighborhoods at any point in time. It's why folks that stay up North like urban, dense, and "walkable".
Texas cities, much like the majority of southern cities, are car-oriented. Blame it on the built-form, or the lack of transportation, or the culture. I'd assume it's all three. "Walkability" is no more than a sales term in Houston from what I've seen. Maybe it's a marketing campaign for the northern transplants?
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